Mobile internet use increase likely in the wake of the iPhone

“We thought it was a mistake and made our engineers check the logs again” is what Vic Gundotra, head of Google’s mobile operations, said to the Financial Times. Google’s engineers had just discovered that iPhone usage was 50 times more than any other mobile handset usage.

As mobile handsets and user interfaces improve, we’re going to be seeing a lot more people getting data from web servers while they’re on the go. This makes sense when looking at historical use of information. Rolodexes transforming into datebooks and planners. Those planners in turn morphing into PDAs. PDAs cross-pollinating with cell phones. At that stage, your old Rolodex plus your calendar are with you wherever you go. Pretty handy.

Now what if your calendar, email and old Rolodex are with you all the time plus the entire internet: in an easy to use package that makes your friends jealous? The iPhone has upped the ante on mobile devices and other companies will surely follow suit. If what Google’s engineers are seeing is any indication, more mobile use of the internet is imminent.

World Map of Social Media Usage

Considering the plunge into social media? Check out this world map of social networking website usage over at Le Monde. The map is in French but I bet you’ll get the idea.

How do you make use of this information besides practicing your French? Well one way, if you have a global market, is to consider targeting your audience where they hang out. In particular note how Europe’s use of social networking varies from our own.

Another thing to look at is domestic (meaning US in my case) usage of social networking sites. Here in the US, Facebook gets a lot of attention but is significantly behind MySpace. Does that mean you should ditch your Facebook account and head over to MySpace? Depends. Different sites are used by different audiences and for different purposes. Do some research to see if your target audience is more prevalent on whichever site you devote your time to.

Also keep an eye on the future. Orkut, the dominating social networking site of Latin America, is operated by Google. Google has announced a system by which various social networking sites (including MySpace and LinkedIn but conspicuously not including Facebook) can share data to make a more seamless social networking experience. That’s a complicated way to say “you don’t have to log in and make 20 different profiles.”

The social networking landscape will change. A number of years ago we were all using SixDegrees, then a rash of LiveJournal/blog systems, then Friendster which imploded as MySpace picked up. Facebook looks poised to take over from there. The thing to keep an eye on, if you intend to use these systems for marketing, is make sure you’re devoting the most time/resources to the site that has the most leads for your business, which may not be the most popular.

Maggie and G get internet famous, sort of

While at Inman Connect in New York last month Maggie and G. Dewald had a great conversation with Charlottesville, Virginia real estate maven Daniel Rothamel. He’s promoting his business by being an active video blogger in his community. One of the things I admire about his work is that he just keeps putting it out and doesn’t let the technology get in his way.

Later on during the conference Daniel approached us for some video quotes for his coverage of Inman Connect, which you can see posted on Real Estate Zebra blog.

Branding through customer service

During the Connect keynote Inman stood in front of a room  packed with  real estate professionals and advised them to call all of their past clients and ask if they need help with foreclosures. I thought that advice was bold, honest and probably difficult to do. But completely worth it from a branding perspective.

If you’re a realtor and are interested in building a strong brand through excellent customer service read John Keith’s Boston Real Estate Blog: “Survey: Most consumers don’t understand foreclosure”.

Zillow on NPR

As I was driving home from biathlon practice last night I heard a good piece about Zillow on PRI’s “Marketplace” program. The program focuses on how the site is faring in the real estate downturn (very well, apparently). The link will take you to audio and text versions of the story. While you’re in media-mode why not get some historical perspective from this interview with Zillow’s Rich Barton from 2006?

If you’re new to Zillow or haven’t started using it yet, check out Maggie’s intro to Zillow post.